NCNGA Weekly Guardsman for December 31, 2020
December 31, 2020
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IN THIS EDITION:
Historic Structures Survey Report, North Carolina National Guard Armories: Fremont, Greenville, Nashville, and Roseboro NC.GOV
NC National Guard receives first doses of COVID-19 vaccine CBS17
Thirteen Airmen Remembered 48 Years After Fatal Training Collision DVIDS
Check out the 13 best military photos of 2020 Task&Purpose
Around the Air Force: Operation Christmas Drop 2020 AF.mil
Graduates answer challenge – Cadets, academy staff surmount obstacles Sampson Independent
December 31st — Today in Guard History National Guard
NC National Guard receives first doses of COVID-19 vaccine CBS17
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The North Carolina National Guard says it has received its first allocation of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Guardsmen supporting the state’s COVID-19 response efforts are set to receive shots voluntarily “after completing the prescribe vaccine training in the coming week,” according to a tweet from the NCNG.
NC National Guard (@NCNationalGuard) – #NCNG has received the first allocation of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Our medics will begin providing the voluntary vaccine shots to Guardsmen currently supporting our state’s #COVID19NC response efforts after completing the prescribe vaccine training in the coming week.
On Wednesday, state health officials announced a revised plan for administering COVID-19 vaccines, allowing anyone age 75 and older to receive a vaccine in the next round of vaccinations beginning in January.
Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Dept. of Health and Human Services, said the revisions are meant to align with the latest recommendations from a CDC advisory group.
Dr. Cohen noted it will still likely be several months before anyone who wants to get vaccinated will be able to do so.
Thirteen Airmen Remembered 48 Years After Fatal Training Collision DVIDS
Thirteen victims of a 1972 military aircraft collision were honored during a ceremony in Horry County, South Carolina Dec. 5, 2020.
U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Vanoni, commander, 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group, Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, served as the keynote speaker, honoring 12 U.S. Air Force victims assigned to Pope Air Force Base and one South Carolina Air National Guard victim assigned to McEntire Air National Guard Base. The collision occurred during a special operations training mission during the Vietnam War.
“While I don’t exactly know what transpired in those last moments on that fateful night, what I can say is we tragically lost 13 great Airmen, from 11 states, which represented the very best of America,” Vanoni said. “These men were serving their nation, defending our principles, and training for what was likely a deployment to, and in some cases another deployment to, Vietnam.”
The Horry County Council, along with the Horry County Historic Preservation Commission, hosted the ceremony held at Berea Baptist Church in Aynor, South Carolina. It concluded with the unveiling of a memorial headstone and a historical roadside marker near the crash site, which occurred Dec. 5, 1972.
Read More and Watch Full Ceremony…
Check out the 13 best military photos of 2020 Task&Purpose
All the challenges of 2020 couldn’t stop military photographers from snapping some truly excellent shots for our viewing pleasure. This week, the Department of Defense released a list of its 85 best photos of the year, and I sampled what I thought were the 13 best among them.
They were hard choices, and I’m no photography expert, but I went with photos that I thought used excellent composition to tell compelling stories. But sometimes I went with ones that just looked really pretty (or badass). Enjoy!
Around the Air Force: Operation Christmas Drop 2020 AF.mil
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) —
This week’s look around the Air Force highlights the long standing tradition of Operation Christmas Drop. (Hosted by Senior Airman Angelo Rosario)
Graduates answer challenge – Cadets, academy staff surmount obstacles Sampson Independent
SALEMBURG — Cadets at Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy turned the tassels on their caps to celebrate a major milestone in their lives.
After walking off the stage, many from Class 55 hugged their parents and supporters while wiping away tears. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only a couple of guests were allowed in the auditorium on the Salemburg campus. Leaders from the quasi-military program that serves at-risk students were glad to see them go home with their families before Christmas.
“I’m very proud of myself and I’m excited to see my family,” Honor student Zachary Clark said about the academy that taught him respect, discipline, and leadership. “I’m also very proud of myself because I was able to graduate with my diploma two years early so it’s a really good feeling.”
Col. (Ret) Edward W. Timmons, North Carolina director for Tarheel ChalleNGe, said graduations at the academy are always special. However, the challenges of a year plagued by COVID-19 made 2020 even more outstanding. Tarheel is one of the few schools in the state that managed to continue person-to-person learning while following various restrictions related to the virus. The campuses operated as a closed and contained facility after the outbreak. Cadets were separated in different groups and everyone in the building was required to wear masks during the academic year.
“The cadets, saw that and they bought into it and of course the finished product is graduation,” Timmons said. “All of the cadets ultimately become ours. That’s one of the things that we tell parents. They’re entrusting their kids into our care, so safety, health, and welfare is our number one priority. Their success is our success.”
December 31st — Today in Guard History National Guard
1950
Pusan Harbor, Korea – Members the 726th Transportation Truck Company (MD) spend their first night in Korea standing in warming tents waiting for their equipment to be unloaded New Years morning. This all-black company is the first mobilized Guard unit to arrive in-country. While President Harry Truman issued an Executive Order in 1948 desegregating the Regular forces, his order had no immediate effect on the Guard. In peacetime Guard membership remained under the control of the governor. Some states after World War II had started to integrate their units but others, especially in the South, allowed no African American participation at all. Once a unit was mobilized it came under federal law and was subject to integration. Today all Guard units are open to any qualified candidate, regardless of race.
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